Thanks everyone for the warnings. Honestly I had not thought that could be possible so just in case I'll gear up with a mask to avoid inhaling any of it. I will still need to remove it, but from what I read the problem with asbestos is if you sand it and make it into breathable particles, so ripping it out should be ok. I've looked up in youtubr and there seems to be a tool called mastic remover that you can put on your floor sander and it would scratch the surface removing any of that stuff.

Thank you. My husband and I chose the tile (per recommendation at the tile store) and used a professional tiler (per recommendation at the tile store) for the install. It isn't a flip. This is a family home that we purchased and spent a year renovating—not DIY but with all professional hired help and a contractor to oversee the job. This tile person wasn't hired by him, though, as he was happy to use the person that we were told was very good by the tile store…. My heart is sinking. I absolutely hate the idea of retiling the shower as there is matching tile on all walls, including shower. I'm hoping there is some other idea out there that will help. I do personally think the tiler should have informed us if the tiles we supplied to him weren't suited to be mitered…we discussed it even before tiles were purchased and he didn't mention any specifications. I'm just worried now that if we put it on him to fix it, we'll end up with a bigger mess...

Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Earlier in 2019, we retired into town and purchased a property for the location, not the house. The house is an old Lockwood with a questionable floor plan and poor traffic flow throughout. We will embark on kitchen, en-suite and master bedroom improvements in 2020. I also intend to completely paint over the wood using Resene Triple Merino. The single living space has a long barn-like appearance. It's a good sized space but the traffic flow makes it a difficult space to set up furniture etc. In the meantime the old obsolete styled, gas space-heater decided to 'spit the dummy' and we are having to replace that ahead of schedule. This has presented a dilemma. Where to locate it in the lounge so that it will work with the improvements scheduled for next year. The new fire is much larger in the room than the old one. I would really appreciate some thoughts on how to make my new gas fire more aesthetically pleasing. Originally, [pic 1] it was thought it should be placed straight on to the room but that looks wrong as is evident from the photo. Also, fire regulations have squashed that idea, because the curtains and wooden beams are too close. In Pic 2, the fireplace has been angled slightly, to overcome the regulations but the wooden posts prevented a nice 45 degree angle being achieved. The new angle now means that I have to reconsider how to rearrange the seating in the lounge for the traffic flow to work but more importantly, I'm left wondering, how do I add finish the fire? Do I build a false chimney and how do I work in all the new angles. I'm usually able to come up with good ideas to overcome problems, but this one has left me a little stumped. Pic 3 shows how I thought I might angle the couch.

Like everything , it comes down to budget and 'value for money' -- generally both the cheapest but also the most expensive aren't the best options -- its doing things 'cleverly' . The entrance foyer looks like it may be a bit dark and closed in , but you don't really want to open the wall between it and the kitchen either . Not really in the 'brief' , but I'd look at opening up the doorway into the lounge -- I guess it depends whether you close that door often ? To me , the only way/place to get more room would be 'open' the double doors and however much more you can between the lounge and family room ( before you strike load bearing walls near the wood burner ) , move the dining room to the family room , and then basically do whatever you like with the kitchen , utilising the existing space and the existing dining space . That may work , or maybe you don't want to combine the lounge and family room , in the latter case maybe move the lounge to the existing family room , utilising the window seats and maybe downsize your lounge suite , wall mount a TV , etc . And then use the existing lounge as dining and family area ? None are ideal , but thats my 'off-the-top-of-my-head' thoughts .